Berserker Ape? Try Berserker Storm!
by Imag
Summary: This is a continuation of "For the Good of Mankind...and Other Flamin' B.S." Storm, Logan, and the other X-Men try to find 2 labs of imprisoned mutants. When Logan is kidnapped, it causes problems with Storm. Please R&R.
1. Default Chapter

**Berserker Ape?**** Try Berserker Storm!**

I don't own the X-Men, yada yada yada… This is the concluding story to "For the Good of Mankind – and other Flamin' BS" which really should be read for background information. I'm sorry it took so long to get this story out. I'd like to thank J and V for inspiring me and getting my butt in gear.

Chapter 1 – Meet me and my 6 pointy friends

_Nearly 2 months had passed since the X-Men found the missing mutant college students in a lab on Castle Air Force base – an abandoned base in the small town of Atwater, CA. Their first mission showed data for at least 2 more labs which hadn't been located yet. They spent the better part of those 2 months looking for the other labs and recuperating – which was much needed; especially for Beast, who suffered a gunshot wound and Storm, who had endured several broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung._

Storm perhaps needed the most recuperation – mentally as well as physically. Both she and Logan had seen their fair shares of missions gone awry and people close to them getting hurt, but Storm considered Jubilee her daughter and the thought of losing her that way really weighed heavily on her mind. She trained Jubilee and commanded her on many successful missions, but this was different because she specifically chose Jubilee to be the intended target. When Jubilee disappeared, the thought of putting her in the very situation that caused her disappearance and the reality of quite possibly never seeing her again really hurt her. It was something she wrestled with during the entire 2 months. The thought of making the same call in the future really caused a conflict. It was nice for Jubilee though. They spent some significant quality time together. She tried to reiterate to Storm that everything was okay and that what happened was part of being an X-Man, but Storm's motherly attitude increased her guilt tenfold.

Logan faired quite nicely. Once everything was back to normal, he settled into his usual attitude and mannerisms…

"Can we go fishing now PapaLo?" Tasha eagerly asked. Logan had just finished pitching their tent and setting up their campsite when the exuberant 10-year old child's excitement got the better of her. She'd heard so much about Logan's camping trips and really looked forward to this one because it was just the two of them for 4 days before Storm and Jubilee joined them for an additional 3. It was also Tasha's first time in California and one of Logan's favorite west coast camp sites – Lake Berryessa.

"Sure Darlin', we can go fishin' now. Get yer pole." He smiled as she grabbed her pole and tackle box.

"Aren't you gonna get your pole Papalo?"

"Hah" he responded. "Grunts like me don't use poles. I use my bare hands."

"I wanna be a grunt too! Will you teach me how to use my bare hands?"

"Sure Darlin'" he smirked…thinking about all the fun they were going to have catching fish. This was the type of stuff he loved to do – pass on his knowledge; especially when it came to the outdoors; he took particular delight in it.

"Now the key to fishin' is patience. Ya got that Tasha?"

"Yes, Patience."

"Good!" he said as he took his shoes and socks off and pulled his pant-legs up. "Take yer shoes and socks off and roll yer pants up like this." She did as she was told and anxiously watched as he slowly and quietly waded into the water.

"Okay Darlin, slowly and quietly wade into the water."

Logan was amazed at how well she took to stepping in the muddy water. She took to it as if she had been in it all her life. Even Jubilee – one who now loved camping – took awhile to become comfortable with the natural side of life – and still opted for the old pole and line when it came to fishing.

"Okay, just watch me for awhile Tash, this is what ya gotta do." She attentively watched as he cupped his hands and put them in the water. She quietly watched as he waded a little further out then turned to face the shore. She never said a word as he patiently stood there almost like a statue waiting for the perfect moment. Then like a flash, Logan reared up and threw a large rainbow trout onto the shore.

"Yay!" she yelled as she saw what would soon be dinner flopping around on the ground.

"Ya ready ta try?" Logan asked.

"You bet I am!"

"Okay, slowly and quietly make yer way out here." With almost perfect imitation, she slowly and quietly made her way out to Logan.

"Okay Tash, slowly cup your hands and put them low in the water. Push them into the mud just a little. Then sit and wait patiently."

"How long do I have to wait?"

"Until the fish come."

"When will that be?"

"Never if ya don't quiet down. Fish can hear EVERYTHING you say. Water is 800 times denser than air, so every little sound you make gets magnified. Ya gotta focus and concentrate. The trick is to make the fish think you're not even there…like you're part of the lake." As soon as he said that, she put her hands in the water and focused on being perfectly still. What happened next amazed Wolverine. She disappeared right before his eyes.

He could still smell her, and could see where the water was flowing around her legs, but she just wasn't there. Soon the water stopped flowing around her legs and seemed to flow right through her. Logan knew she was at the age that mutant abilities surfaced so he tried to keep his cool. Just as a bit of concern set in and he started to call her name, a large trout came flying out the water and landed on the shore.

"I did it!" she yelled as she reappeared in front of him.

"Whoa!" Logan yelled – still looking very surprised and concerned.

"What's the matter Papalo, you didn't think I could do it?"

"Darlin' do you know what just happened?"

"Yah, I caught a fish just like you!"

"Uh, you caught a fish alright, but not like me. Darlin', you up and disappeared on me."

"Whaddya mean Papalo?"

"I mean you were invisible! You just disappeared! How'd you do it?"

"I don't know. I didn't know I was invisible. I just did what you told me to do."

"I never told you ta disappear kid."

"You told me I had to be part of the lake so the fish wouldn't see me. That's what I thought about…and the fish didn't see me!"

"Do it again."

"Do what again?"

"Become part of the lake again – do exactly what you did before."

"Okay!"

She turned around and put her hands in the lake again and started concentrating. Soon thereafter she disappeared. This time Logan couldn't even see the water flowing around her legs. She instantly disappeared.

"Tash?" he said with an air of concern.

"Shhh" he heard from directly in front of him.

"Tash, where are you?" Just then another trout came flying out of the water as Tasha reappeared.

"You almost scared him away Papalo! I thought you were supposed to be very quite when you fished."

"What happened when you disappeared?"

"I don't know…I didn't know I disappeared. I could still see myself."

"You could? What did you feel?"

"I don't know…it's kinda hard to describe."

"Try Darlin', try real hard."

"Well, I felt kinda ticklish."

"Ticklish?"

"Yah, like my insides were being tickled."

"That's good Darlin', that's real good. Looks like yer mutant powers are startin' ta show up."

"Really? You mean I can turn invisible?"

"I think it's a bit more involved than that, but yeah – that's the gist of it."

"Great – can we do more?"

"You know what Darlin'? We've caught enough fish for today. What say we head back to the campsite?" The real reason he cut the fishing lesson short was because a developing power was no small thing. He wanted Storm to be around when Tasha started developing her powers. They headed back to camp with their catch and anxiously looked forward to trout for dinner.

They were almost back to the campsite when Logan's animalistic senses kicked in. He stopped in mid step and started listening and smelling the air.

"What's the matter Papalo?"

"Shhh…" **sniff sniff** - **SNIKT **"Get behind me Darlin'" he whispered to Tasha as he vectored in on the scents of at least 8 people – all armed. They weren't in the immediate vicinity, but he could tell they were between him the campsite. "Tasha, you know what you did in the water? You think you can do it again next ta that tree behind us?" Tasha was very shaken at this point. She couldn't see or smell whatever it was that alarmed Logan, but she knew when she was in trouble, and this was definitely bad news.

"I don't know" she said with a very frightened voice.

"Okay, when I tell ya, you high-tail it back to the minijet, get in the cockpit, and pull the emergency lever real hard. The lever will break the glass holding it in place and you'll see a red button. Push it! You got it?"

"Yes sir."

"The minijet will start up and launch all by itself then someone from Salem Center will call you and bring you back."

"What about you Papalo?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. You just get yer butt to the minijet okay?"

"I'm scared Papalo."

"I know ya are Darlin', but it's gonna be okay. You just do what I said."

The only saving grace was that the minijet was about 160 feet from the campsite in a more remote spot. Logan hoped he could keep whoever was looking for them occupied long enough for Tasha to get to safety.

"GO!" he yelled to Tasha as he tore into a mad dash toward the campsite. By the time he had gotten to the site, he had already vectored in on 2 of the mercenaries who were hiding in an ambush position waiting for his return. Before they realized they had been detected, Logan had already breached their perimeter. With lightening speed, he dove head first at the two mercs. The first merc didn't even get a shot off before Logan stabbed him and repositioned for an attack on the second. The second merc faired better than the first, but not by much. He got one shot off before Logan tackled him and pinned him with his claws.

"Who sent you?!" He yelled. The merc didn't get the chance to tell him. Logan was hit by a barrage of bullets from at least 4 different directions. He was knocked off his feet and still getting pummeled with automatic fire when the second merc scampered away. The barrage of bullets kept Logan effectively pinned. Whoever was after him had done their homework…they were using large caliber .44 magnums. The bullets weren't strong enough to penetrate his adamantium endoskeleton, but they did a damn good job turning his skin into hamburger meat.

He managed to scamper behind a large tree but he knew it wouldn't give him shelter for very long. With the berserker rage crawling up his spine and his mutant healing factor working in full force, Logan went on the offensive. He dove into the underbrush and ripped off his red flannel shirt. Listening to the other mercs close in on his position, he ducked behind another tree. The mercs immediately pegged him and started firing at the tree.

"You want this tree?!" Logan yelled. "You can have it!" he snapped as he popped his claws and sliced clean through the base. The tree slowly fell toward the camp. Logan ran up the falling oak and used it as a launching pad to drop himself in between 2 mercs. Upward thrusts from 6 claws ended the battle for both of them. As quick as he had landed, he was off again headed for the next merc. He spotted one not more than 15 feet away and lunged for him. Had the merc trained more for accuracy instead of relying on the volume of a fully automatic weapon, he may have stayed Logan off a few more seconds. Such as it was, this merc met the same fate as three of the first 4 Logan encountered. He was in rare form – slicing his way through one mercenary after another.

"Wolverine!" someone yelled from about 40 or 50 feet away.

"Ya know my name…I'm impressed!" he responded.

"Know your enemy – that's my motto."

"Slice 'n dice yer enemy is mine!"

"Listen Wolverine! Give up and come peacefully…"

"And why the hell would I wanna do that?" Logan barked – almost laughing. "I got ya right where I want ya, and when I'm done with ya – even your mama won't recognize ya!"

"Why? Cuz we got your girl!" the merc responded, walking toward the center of the campsite holding Tasha by the back of her neck. "You're goin' through my men like paper! I just can't have that…good mercs are hard to come by – and even harder to pay for. You give up and we'll let the girl go. We came for YOU, Old Man didn't say anythin' about a retinue."

The fury in Logan's eyes tripled when he saw the tall, mid-forties armed man holding onto Tasha with a Desert .44 magnum special pointed at her head. Unfortunately, fury wasn't going to get Tasha out of this situation and Logan knew it. From where he was, there wasn't anything he could do. There were at least 4 mercs that were still unaccounted for.

"How do I know you'll let the girl go?"

"You DON'T know, but I give you my word…you come peacefully and she goes free."

"What's your word worth?"

"Ain't for sale."

"What the hell? You're a flamin' merc ain't ya?"

"I'm a merc on a mission…I ain't for sale. Now you got 2 choices, you can give up and I'll let the girl go…or we can scrap it up. You may get to all of us, but not before the girl gets it!"

Logan heard what he needed to hear. It wasn't the option he wanted, but he knew the merc would keep his word and let Tasha go - that was the important thing. He would have to finish this battle another day. He willingly gave up his location and walked out toward the merc and Tasha. Two other mercs came up behind the C.O. – both with automatic weapons held at the ready. One had a set of metal restrainer cuffs that he pulled out and threw at Logan.

"Put 'em on" he barked. Logan almost laughed at him.

"You think these things are gonna stop me?"

"Yep." The merc said with an air of smugness. "Two inches of Carbonadium…it'll take ya at least a week to get through 'em!"

"You guys really did your homework." Logan growled as he willingly put his hands in them. The merc locked them down – effectively neutralizing Logan's claws.

"Alright, ya got me…not let the girl go!"

The C.O. did exactly as he said he would and let Tasha go. She ran straight to Logan who by now was kneeling on one knee to greet her.

"I don't wanna go PapaLo. I wanna stay here with you." She pleaded.

"I know Darlin', but you gotta go. Don't worry about me…I'll be all right. You remember what I told you to do?"

"Yes sir."

"Do it okay? Don't worry about me…I'll be home soon. I promise!"

She unwillingly did what he told her and ran off toward the minijet. The Merc kept his word and didn't pursue.

"So who sent you?" Logan asked. "Who is 'Old Man'?"

"You'll find out soon enough." The merc said as he took out a large tranquilizer gun and loaded.

"That ain't gonna do much to me." Logan boasted.

"You'd be surprised what this stuff'll do. A couple drops of this will knock an elephant on his ass for at least a day, and I plan to give you a LOT!"

"I don't know who the hell you are, but where I come from, ya mess with a man's little girl, ya pay the price; and Bub – you got a big bill! I don't care WHAT Old Man is payin' ya – your mouth just wrote a check your ass can't cash. This ain't over." Logan growled.

"Yeah it is…" the merc said before he shot Logan. Wolverine was out before he hit the ground.


	2. A Storm's a Comin!

Chapter 2 – A Storm's a comin'

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Tasha yelled into the mic. The minijet entered stealth mode and started rising into the air. "I need help! MamaRo? Uncle Gambit? Hello!"

"Tasha, this is Storm. What has happened Sweetie? Where is Logan?"

"Some men with guns took PapaLo! They grabbed me and told him they would let me go if he gave up and so he did. He told me to push the emergency button but he's back there with them. You have to help him!"

"By the Goddess!" Thunder cracked across the sky so loud it could be heard from Sacramento clear through to Vallejo – nearly 70 miles away. "Tasha, just hold on…I have the minijet on screen and I will bring you home." About a minute later, the minijet roared eastward back to Davis where Storm was waiting. She met up with it outside town and hid it in a private hanger at the UC Davis airport. The mostly unmanned airport provided the perfect cover for it as nobody but faculty ever used it. An attendant usually stuck around during business hours to help refuel the tiny prop planes that populated the strip, but he left at 5 pm leaving the airport empty for the evening.

Tasha was still shaken by the time they returned to the house. It took awhile for her to calm down. Memories of how her own parents had been taken from her were fresh in her mind. Jubilee and Jean were there and immediately assisted in trying to comfort her and reassure her that everything would be okay. She told them everything that happened – which for a 10-year-old was extremely accurate, but Tasha had been blessed with above average intelligence and an incredible memory. She told them exactly what the mercenaries said and exactly what Logan did. She even described the 2-inch carbonadium restraints they made Logan wear. This really alarmed the 3 X-Women because they knew it took a great deal of research to understand how to subdue Logan. Storm seemed more upset than the other two X-women – especially when Tasha mentioned 'Old Man.' A cool chill spread across the room as Tasha went into detail about what had happened. The temperature dropped nearly 10 degrees before Jean eyed Storm and she realized what she was doing. They knew that it had something to do with breaking up the lab in Atwater and that Logan had been specifically targeted, but that was all they knew. Storm's fears for Logan were intensified at the thought of what Old Man was doing to him. She also considered the possibility that the other X-Men on that mission might be targeted. If they knew how to subdue Logan, they might know how to subdue the others.

Storm contacted and briefed the Professor and the rest of the X-Men then she and Jean set out to investigate Logan's capture. Professor X immediately dispatched Bishop to the area to give some assistance.

Jubilee took Tasha to a hotel and watched over her while Storm and Jean went to investigate the campsite. Though they found the site, they found nothing that could identify Wolverine's captors. They surveyed the entire area and found lots of evidence of a fight, but very little else. Each passing minute seemed to make Storm grow more uneasy – which was very unusual for the usually calm and experienced leader. Her cool, calm and collected demeanor never betrayed her, but being in the presence of one of the world's most powerful psychics meant hiding her emotions was nearly impossible. Jean knew she had been troubled by the mission at Castle and this just compounded her issues. Jean also sensed doubt from Storm in her abilities to safely lead the X-Men. This worried her because the one thing every leader needs is confidence in their abilities.

"Storm? Are you okay?" Jean asked.

"I'm fine!" She sharply responded without looking up.

"We're going to find him, you know that right?" Jean empathetically replied.

"Yes." she said in a very cold voice. "I know we will. BEAST, come in!" she yelled into her communicator.

"Beast here Storm."

"We've surveyed the campsite. There is nothing here to help us. Have you and Bishop found anything on the other 2 labs yet?"

"I have no news to report except that our endeavors have proven fruitless."

"You MUST find those other labs - QUICKLY. I fear Wolverine is in a very dangerous situation."

"I know you're worried about him Storm, but Logan can take care of himself. He's been in bad situations before. "

"This goes beyond that – way beyond that Beast."

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"No! What I would like is for you and Bishop to find those other labs!" Storm slammed her communicator closed, denying Beast the last word and giving a precursor to the sound of thunder rumbling in the background.

"Merde!" Stormy really concerned 'bout Wolverine!" Gambit said as he peered over Beast's workstation.

"Apparently!" Beast responded.

Meanwhile in a hidden lab in Vacaville, CA an eerily similar lab to that of Castle had been set up at a maximum-security detention facility. Unlike Castle however, this site had a full entourage of visible security and a landing pad suitable for 6 helicopters. Old Man had taken great care to hide each of his labs using completely different methods. Castle appeared to be abandoned but this lab had the full cover of a functional maximum-security prison…that the locals weren't aware was really a prison for missing mutants. Since it technically didn't exist and the local legislator had been paid handsomely to keep it that way, Old Man never worried about the state sending investigators or people dropping by to visit inmates. Nobody knew the "inmates" there and there was no other reason for anyone to investigate. It was the perfect hiding place…in plain sight of everyone. The ominous appearance of the prison even kept Vacaville residents from being too curious.

"How is he?" Old Man inquired to the head scientist.

"You mean that beast you brought in yesterday? I want him OUT of here! He's jeopardizing our entire operation!"

"How so? He's only one mutant…he doesn't even have any projectile powers…all he can do is pop out those claws and swing them around like an animal."

"If you think he's so easy to subdue, then YOU take over his research! Every shift has had problems with him. He's already woken up 3 times, and every time he wakes up he starts slicing through his tank. He almost got through the first time, so we put him in a special tube with 2.5 inches of reinforced bullet-proof glass and when he woke up the second time, he STILL damaged it! We stunned him with enough electricity to knock out a friggin' horse! You know what he did before he fell asleep? He looked at me with those beast like eyes and I coulda sworn he growled 'You'll pay for that Bub!' We've already increased his anesthetic feed 6 times! Every time I do, his body adjusts to it and he starts to regain consciousness! Right now he's got enough anesthesia in him to knock out every single mutant in this room and MOST of the security as well! He's too damn dangerous for this!"

"That's PRECISELY why I want him here you imbecile!" Old Man yelled. "Who knows what we can do if we unlock the secrets of his body! Imagine living for hundreds of years, instantly healing, or never being sick…imagine finding a cure for EVERY disease known to mankind! Then imagine us using his own powers against him. Mutants think they can hurt us? Wait till we harness their own power and defeat them with it!"

"Imagine what he'll do to us if he ever escapes!"

"I don't care! If you have to cut him into tiny little squares to figure out what makes him tick, you WILL find out. THEN he'll PAY for what he did at Castle! That was our most productive lab and we nearly lost EVERYTHING because of him! If I had the resources, I'd go after the other mutants there that night as well. For now, he'll do; and I WILL get my revenge on him…and the irony will be sweet – succumbing to the very freedom he provided at Castle. The only redeeming factor of Castle is the data we had uploaded to the mainframe…that reminds me, have you backed up the data yet?"

"Why – are you worried?"

"Not as much as you'll be if you don't answer my question!"

"Yeah, 7 pm and 4 am – same times every day…just like it's programmed to do."

"Confirmed?"

"You are so paranoid, you know that Old Man?"

"If I weren't, Castle would have been a waste of over 80 million dollars. Reprogram the computers to start uploading information every 4 hours."

"Every 4 hours??? That's ridiculous – we don't have enough data for that. What's wrong with twice a day?"

"Nothing, but I'm not taking any chances."

"You're worried that beast's friends are going to come looking for him aren't you? From what I saw on that surveillance tape, they're nothing to sneeze at. Like I said – he shouldn't be here!"

"Shut-up and do your work. Tell me what you've learned so far about our little hero." He said, tapping on Logan's tube.

"Quite a bit actually – mostly from him waking up and trying to escape. Those metal claws; they're made of adamantium – a nearly indestructible metal; but that's not the amazing thing – the amazing thing is that it runs through his entire skeletal structure. It's not natural either…whoever did it knew what they were doing. I've never seen genetic manipulation like this. I'm sure his healing factor had something to do with it. I don't see how he could have survived the process without it. Also, it looks like his healing capabilities are pretty complicated. It seems that the more injured he gets, the more focused it becomes. If you cut his skin, it heals up immediately but if you damage an organ AND cut his skin, it focuses more on the organ and takes a bit longer to heal his skin. I can surmise that if he's severely injured, his healing powers will be significantly hindered. Also, it seems his healing powers are linked to his protein intake. If I increase his protein, he seems to heel faster…consequently, if he's severely injured and is low on protein, it won't work nearly as well – it might even fail.

Oh – emotions can drive his abilities…thus making him an excellent fighter or soldier. I imagine that in the heat of battle, he heals faster…letting him concentrate on other things – like whomever he's fighting."

"Very good! Keep up the research – I want ALL of his secrets."

"Well, you won't get ALL of them…I know nothing about adamantium, and since I'm not a physicist, you won't get that knowledge from me."

"That's okay…you just figure out what makes him tick. Leave the rest to me. Can you tell me anything else about him?"

"Only that whatever he's dreaming of is pretty bad."

"What do you mean?"

"His REM charts are off the scale…it's like he's constantly having nightmares or something."

"Interesting. I wonder what goes on in that hairy head of his." he said, looking at the unconscious mutant.

"What about the other mutants that broke up Castle? Are you eventually going after any of them?"

"Not just yet. It's hard enough dealing with THIS animal! Besides, we don't know how many there are. The video surveillance showed 4 plus the girl they came to get, but there are more – who knows, there could 40 – or even 400 or 4,000. Whoever they are, they're heavily trained and are excellent fighters. They took the entire security staff at Castle apart like they were a bunch of cub scouts! You should have seen them fighting – it was incredible…especially him!" he said, pointing at Logan. "It's too bad I had to cut the satellite uplink before they traced it back to HQ…it could have given us some insight into how many others there were or where they came from."

"Is that why you beefed up security around here?"

"Yeah. If they ever DO find out where this is, we'll need all the help we can get."

"And the choppers? I noticed you always have one of them on."

"And I bet you'll beat me to it if all hell breaks loose won't you?" Old Man chuckled.

"Got that right!"

Storm called ahead and told Jubilee they were headed back to the house. Jubilee and Tasha left the hotel and headed back to meet them.

"When will Bishop arrive?" Storm asked Jubilee as she and Tasha walked into their North Davis home.

"Didn't find anything useful?" Jubilee inquired about their trip to Logan's campsite.

"No. Bishop?"

"Another hour or so."

Storm didn't acknowledge Jubilee's response. She just walked past her into the house's makeshift ready-room and started researching the data she had recovered from the Castle lab. She'd seen it a thousand times before but still hadn't come up with any clues as to where the other 2 labs were or who Old Man was. The mission had suddenly taken a greater importance though – with another teammate gone; this one being the love of her life; she scrutinized every detail of the information she had.

"What about this place? You think it's safe to stay here?" Jubilee asked.

"They won't send anybody here." Jean responded. "If we get attacked, it will be when we are separate and presumed vulnerable. As long as we are all here, we won't be in any danger. Also, I can sense any impending attacks."

**_Think outside the box_**. Storm said to herself. _**How can they hide these other 2 labs so well? Where are they getting the mutants to do these experiments? Professor Xavier would have come across more missing college students by now, so they can't be using college students. Who can they take without many people noticing?**_

_**Logan always said the best place to hide was in plain sight. If we haven't detected a missing segment of society, it's because they're pulling them out from right under our noses; and if we can't find them…it's because they're hiding them right under our noses. The only segments of society I can think of that goes completely undetected are the homeless and poor. Could it be whoever is running these labs are targeting homeless mutants?**_

Even as the wheels in her head started turning, she couldn't get Logan off her mind. _**Goddess, the things they could be doing to him. I know he's strong, but if they're experimenting on him again, this could completely push him over the edge. **_The thoughts of all the physical experimentation Logan had endured during his entire pain-ridden life started cycling through Storm's mind. One horrible event after another seemed to follow him wherever he went. A tear rolled down her cheek as she recalled the events that lead Logan to the X-Men and into her heart.

"Storm?" Jubilee asked from the doorway of the ready-room.

"What do you want child?" she responded in a soft, almost weeping voice.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes Jubilee, I am." She said, turning to face the worried teen. As soon as Jubilee saw the tears on Storm's face, she ran and hugged her.

"It's going to be okay Storm. We'll find him – just like you guys found me. You'll see – he'll be fine."

"I know child. I'm not worried about finding him – we will find him."

"Why are you crying?"

"You know Logan as well as I Jubilee. You know what he has been through. You know how he has always tried to reconcile his past only to be wrought with more pain and loss."

"Yeah."

"I fear for what they are doing to him right now. For what damage it might do to his mind."

"Whatever damage they do, he can handle it."

"I hope so. We've all seen what happens when he loses control…"

"Yeah. But he'll be okay…and we'll be there to help him."

"Enough about this." Storm said while straightening up with attention. "I have a project for you. Get a list of all the homeless shelters, food shelters, free clinics, and any other service that might be used by homeless and indigent mutants. Start in the Sacramento area and then work your way out to the bay area."

"What should I do after I compile this list?"

"Well, you're a student right? Contact them and tell them you're doing a paper on homeless people. Ask them if their numbers have changed in the last couple years, and if so – how. Make a note of ANY discrepancies."

"Discrepancies?"

"Any place where the numbers have gotten lower." Jubilee quickly sat down and started working. By the time Bishop arrived, she had a very comprehensive list.

Bishop had a unique talent for investigation – almost as good as Logan's. Storm put him and Jubilee immediately to work on missing homeless people. She knew it was a tough task, but it was a long shot that she hoped would pay off. She was counting on the fact that most homeless shelters kept accurate numbers because their funding was tied to how many people they served. Maybe one would give her the lead she needed.


	3. Putting the Pieces Together

Chapter 3 – Putting the Pieces Together!

Meanwhile…about 18 miles down the road in a lab full of kidnapped mutants, there was Logan – unconscious, and every bit as annoying as he was when he was awake.

"He's at it again." One guard said to another

"Yeah, Jeff – he must have some KILLER nightmares." The other guard responded – looking at Logan's erratic movements in the tank. Every few hours it seemed Logan would react to some sort of nightmare and act out his fights while in his tank. He had already popped his claws out several times and made quite a few cuts on the inside of his tank. Nobody knew what he was dreaming of, but they were quite sure it wasn't good. "I'm just glad he's in there and not out here. I remember him VERY CLEARLY." The first guard said.

"I'll bet you do Mike, you got a MUCH closer look than I did."

"Yeah man – the way he sliced the bumper off that ambulance! Another couple feet and it woulda been my NECK he was slicing through!"

"Yeah – talk about a narrow escape! And what about that night he and his friends took apart the Castle lab? We're just frickin' lucky we had already left or we woulda ended up like the others – dead or in jail wishin' we were dead!"

"You just better hope he doesn't remember us when he wakes up! Maybe Old Man will let us transfer to the lab in Sacramento. That way we won't be around if he gets out."

"Yeah – and watchin' over babies is a LOT less stressful than full grown mutants!"

**_Think_** Storm said to herself. _**There has to be something I'm missing**._ It was nearly 3 a.m. and she was still staring at the data in front of her on 3 different monitors. She had gone over it several times and was still no closer to finding what she needed. The house was silent with only Bishop still working. Being jet-lagged, he used the time to research missing homeless people. He kept his distance from Storm though. He knew she was really upset and also knew there wasn't much he could do about it so he opted to leave her alone.

"BISHOP!" she yelled – so loud that it startled him.

"Yeah?"

"I need you – get in here now!" Knowing why she was so rude made it easier for him to comply instead of snapping back.

"What ya got?"

"These transmissions…" she said, pointing to a spreadsheet of data disbursements on one of the screens. "That's when they sent all their data to another location right?"

"Yeah – Beast thinks the data from all 3 labs is being compiled on a server somewhere but he can't find the upload signature anywhere. They must have rerouted all their IP addresses after we took out that lab."

"Old Man is too smart to leave a trail behind, but perhaps this information is still useful. How good are you at tapping into communications satellites?"

"Not bad – why?"

"Do you think you can program the computer to search for an upload pattern?"

"Sure – what type of pattern?"

"Well, the Castle lab sent their uploads at 8 pm and 5 am every day. Set up a search criteria for regular uploads at those times and also set it up for the 9/15 hour incremental search – maybe we'll get lucky."

"Storm, do you have any idea how many satellites I'll have to break into and how many search patterns I'll have to sift through?"

"Quite a few I'm sure, but you can narrow it down and start with the most plausible ones first – non-governmental communications satellites and so on. Maybe we'll find something. When can you have it done?"

"The search parameters won't take long, hacking into satellites will take a while though, and the actual searching will be the hardest part. Give me 6 or 7 days." The look she shot him told her that she wanted it done a LOT quicker than that.

"Okay – gimme till tomorrow evening…I'll have a report for you by then."

"That's better Bishop. Thank you."

"What about the homeless people?"

"Jubilee can take care of that…don't worry."

"Whatever you say Storm." He replied. With that, he started his research.

Morning came and still Storm sat in front of the monitors. It wasn't until Tasha came downstairs and said hi to her that she snapped out of her analysis coma.

"Tasha Sweetie!" she yelled as she smiled and gave the anxious child a hug.

"Is PapaLo coming back soon?" Tasha inquired.

"Yes he is Sweetie. We are working on that right now – he will be back very soon and you two will be able to finish your camping trip!"

"Yay! I can't wait to go fishing with him again. That was Fun!"

"Come with me Sweetie and I'll make you a big breakfast – your favorite dish: scrambled eggs with grape jelly and pancakes with maple syrup." The break was good for Storm. Everybody in the house noticed what a difference Tasha's presence made in her. They could only hope that she was really handling the situation better rather than putting on a show for Tasha.

Storm tried to make the morning seem as regular as possible. In her mind she was still sorting through all the data Beast sent her, but her demeanor never betrayed her. She appeared as calm and in control as ever. She even opted to cook breakfast for the other X-Men. The only person that could detect anything different in her mental state was Jean – who opted to keep that information to herself. They all partook in Tasha's favorite dish and commented on how good – but very unusual – scrambled eggs and grape jelly was. The witty child responded with a comment about green eggs and ham, which gave them all a chuckle. They then returned to their work. As it was that Jean had the most free time, she took care of entertaining Tasha for the rest of the morning.

"I STILL don't understand how that mutant is still alive!" the lead scientist said to Old Man. "We've given him enough anesthesia to knock out a HERD of elephants and his body STILL adjusts to it. We finally found a level that seems to keep him sedated, but whatever he's dreaming of keeps pushing his adrenaline up which makes his mutant powers react to the anesthesia."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning if he has a bad enough dream, he'll probably wake up – and then he'll be OUR nightmare! You remember the surveillance tape at Castle? If he gets that mad, I'm getting the hell outta here!"

"It's YOUR job to make sure that doesn't happen again. What about the other mutants?"

"Bout the same…nothing new to report."

"I'm having a body sent from the infant & child lab."

"Here? Isn't that a break in protocol? I mean – the thing that saved our asses from the Castle lab fiasco was that nobody connected with it knew about us."

"I know – but I need faster results, and they have their hands full working on some twins. "

"What happened?"

"The twins died late last night – both went into cardiac arrest at the exact same time. The one being sent here was a 2-year old…died early this morning. I guess it couldn't deal with the stress of the tank. They tried to save it but couldn't."

"Boy or girl?"

"It was a mutant – who cares what sex it was."

The scientist gave Old Man a dirty look and responded with "Old man, I'd really HATE to see the mutant that made you so bitter!"

"Shut-up and do your work. When the body gets here, dissect it and figure out what made it tick."

"Um, you ARE aware that mutants don't develop their powers until there adolescent years right?"

"Don't patronize me! The genetic code for mutants is still there – whether they know how to use it or not!"

"Okay…whatever. I still don't see why you can't just wait to have it examined there. It's what they specialize in right – infants and children?"

"Like I said – they're busy; plus you've made better progress with the adults, I'm hoping you can do the same with this child."


	4. Chapter 4 Berserker Storm

Chapter 4 – Berserker Storm

"Storm, got something!" Bishop yelled, pounding on her bedroom door. She opened it immediately as if she were standing there waiting for his report.

"What have you found?"

"It was a shot in the dark, but I entered all the search parameters and concentrated on areas in CA – thinking that if one person were to travel frequently between labs, he wouldn't set them up in different states…logistically it would be too complicated. Anyway – the 9/15 scan came up with something. I got hits off two sites – one an industrial complex in Sacramento, and the other a prison in Vacaville. Five'll get ya ten that's where Wolverine is - Vacaville!"

"Show me the file on this prison. Why do you think he is there?"

"It's surrounded by guards – it makes sense that the most dangerous people would be there. I've already gotten satellite surveillance on both. The industrial site has minimal security - not enough to hold someone like Logan – or any other large group of adult mutants. It's also surrounded by other businesses. They can't draw too much attention to themselves."

"Which one is the industrial site?" Storm asked – looking at a satellite photo of several similar looking buildings."

"That's the catch. Because of the satellite uplink, I couldn't get the exact building but I narrowed it down to 6 possible buildings near the river. They all seem to have legitimate business charters. The way the buildings are constructed, they could have an entire lab of infants and nobody would be the wiser. But for Wolverine, I'd put my money on Vacaville – it's the only logical choice."

"But a state prison is too risky – it could EASILY be discovered by one of the inmates or even a visiting family member."

"That's just it Storm…if you look at the satellite photos, there is a prison there – and if you drive by, you will see it…"

"But…?"

"But there is NO prison in Vacaville. It's not in ANY of the state or federal records, it's not listed on any California map, it's not on any web site…hell, it just doesn't exist. I haven't even found any references to it in newspapers or magazines. The only reference to it is on a freeway sign in Vacaville! It's gotta be the place!"

"Give me the address, then call Gambit, Betsy, Rogue and Scott and tell them to meet us here ASAP. Then go to the industrial site and recon the area. See if you can find the specific building. Three of the buildings in the surveillance photos have helipads, as did the prison – I would start there."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to recon the prison."

"Alone?"

"I'll take Jean with me."

"Storm, do you think that's a good idea? If you see something that indicates he IS there – will you be level-headed enough to step back and wait for back-up?"

"Do NOT question my abilities or my leadership!" she snapped; the whites of her eyes showing her anger and the distant sound of thunder rolling across the clear Davis sky giving an ominous warning to the danger ahead.

"Okay – I won't…I just wanted to make sure."

No sooner than Bishop finished his conversation with Scott, had Storm and Jean changed into their BDU's, grabbed their gear, and left for Vacaville. Jean assumed they would drive, but as soon as they walked out of the door, Storm took to the sky. The prison being only 18 miles away, it seemed logical to drive, but logic was far from the weather goddess' mind. Jean levitated up and joined Storm; and with some weatherly assistance, kept up with her during the flight. She normally wouldn't do that but thought it was important enough to stay close in case Storm changed her mind about strictly reconnoitering. With each passing minute Jean grew more concerned. Storm was so focused on finding Logan that she never considered how easy it was for her mind to be read. Jean usually kept her psychic distance, but this was no normal situation. Though Storm's serene face never betrayed her thoughts, her mind fluctuated between extreme fear and dread for Logan and blind rage against those who took him and threatened Tasha. Images from the Castle lab also saturated her mind. Jean saw a myriad of images: Logan being experimented on, Jubilee's nude and nearly lifeless body trapped in a tank, Tasha, the kidnapped students, and thoughts of mutant babies born into captivity for experimentation. It all took a very heavy toll on Storm's mind. Jean knew an explosive situation was inevitable. She just hoped Storm would be able to recover from it.

Darkness made it easy for Storm to get a bird's eye view of the prison without being spotted. Providing a little cloud cover to hide the moonlight made her virtually invisible. Just as Bishop stated, it looked like a prison and there were plenty of guards. Reconnoitering, she counted at least 48 walking the perimeter in groups of 4 – with an additional 24 in 6 elevated guard posts. She knew there were more inside. She also saw the helipad on the roof with several helicopters. She saw 2 reconditioned Hueys, 2 smaller choppers armed with guns, and a fifth helicopter which looked to be a Sikorsky S76 personal transport. She surmised that the Hueys were used to transport mutants, the armed choppers were for defense, and the last was a personal helicopter. She then rejoined Jean in a ditch just outside visual range of the prison.

"Are you okay Storm?" Jean empathetically asked.

"I am fine." She replied in a very monotone voice, never once looking at Jean, opting to continue analyzing the defensive systems of the prison instead.

"I'm just a little concerned about…"

"Stay out of my head and focus on the mission."

"I know you're concerned about Logan, but I sense some very disturb…"

"I SAID stay out of my head Jean!" Storm snapped, taking only a brief moment to make eye contact. "Do you see those guard posts? They each contain 2 50-caliber machine guns. Look on top of the posts. Each one contains a FLIR (forward looking infrared) system that can cut us in half if it detects us." she continued in a sharp voice. "Do you see what the guards are carrying? They have Carbine automatic M4A1 assault rifles with 80 count drums and Dessert Special 9 MM sidearms. Those are NOT normal security guards. They are mercenaries – heavily trained and probably deadly accurate. FOCUS ON THE MISSION…" she grimaced. "and STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!"

Inside the prison, the lead scientist steadily focused on his job – which consisted of examining and dissecting the body of a 2-year old infant mutant in order to unlock her secrets. Unlike Old Man, his heart wasn't filled with anger and resentment toward the mutant race. Though bigoted, he still wondered about the tiny body that lay on the table in front of him. He remembered with fondness the time when his own daughter was that young. He thought about what might have become of this little girl had she not had the misfortune of being born into captivity. He almost shed a tear looking at the tiny body. "It's a mutant." he said to himself…giving him the confidence to continue with his job. He was just about to make the first incision when he stopped. He just couldn't do it. She reminded him too much of his own daughter. He could deal with full grown mutants but when he saw that child, all he saw was her innocence. "Get her out of here." He passionately said to one of the guards.

"What?"

"I SAID get her OUT of here. Take her back to the other lab – just get her out of here. I can't work on her."

"Got a heart eh Doc?" the guard replied.

"Don't you?" he responded.

"I'm a mercenary. This line of work is no place for someone with a heart."

"Just get her out of here – willya please?! I'll deal with Old Man."

The guard started to move the body when an alarm went off. "The Beast!" he said, quickly identifying the source of the alarm. "Guards, meet at L-3 – the BEAST'S tank! He's at it again." He grabbed a tube containing a powerful anesthetic and headed to Wolverine's tank. The guards and scientist arrived at the same time and saw Wolverine's body viciously jerking like he was fighting a fierce enemy in his dream. He tossed and turned inside the fluid-filled container, trying to hit or stab the imaginary foe in front of him.

"I don't know why Old Man doesn't get this mutant out of here!" the scientist said to the guards. He pulled an injection tube from the side of Wolverine's tank and slowly started filling it with the anesthetic solution while the guards attentively watched. One guard made a comment about how many mercs died bringing him in and another agreed with the scientist that they should have left him alone because he was too damned dangerous. Just as the scientist finished filling the injection tube, Wolverine yelled and lunged forward stabbing the inside of the container – instantly penetrating it and taking a nick out of the scientists arm. He was still unconscious when he withdrew his claws and continued to fight his imaginary foe.

"Shit!" the scientist yelled as he pulled back from the container and held his arm. The cuts drew blood but luckily for him, he was just out of reach of any real danger. "Push the injection button!" he yelled, pointing to a small grey button below the injection tube. "Push it quickly before he does any more damage or the container drains!" One guard quickly pushed the button which started injecting the anesthesia into Wolverine's IV. Within seconds Wolverine's actions slowed to a few slight movements then into complete inactivity. "We'll have to get another friggin' tank!" he yelled, looking at the fluid draining from the 3 puncture marks Wolverine made. "I've never seen anything like this! Those razor sharp claws can penetrate anything! Prep one of the oversized cages. If we keep him in the middle, he may not be able to damage the structure. Be quick about it – I want to put him in while he's still under the full effects of this injection."

Outside the prison lay 2 X-Women in hiding – closely analyzing the place. Storm knew that if Logan was inside it would be very tough to get to him. She wasn't concerned with that though – all she wanted to know was his location and the quickest way to get to him. Nothing else mattered. This greatly distressed Jean because not even Professor X had seen Storm use the full grunt of her powers. Seeing it was something they both feared.

"What do you sense inside the building Jean?"

"Let me see." Focusing on the entire facility, images soon came to her. "I see guards – lots of them. I see…it's not a prison at all. There are very few cells inside, but there are 2 large rooms…the building is shaped like a figure 8 with guards at every entry. Both rooms have many mutants – probably 40 – 50 each. I also see guards walking past lab rooms – many of them. She continued to tell Storm what she saw on the inside of the prison.

"Do you see Logan?"

"I'm trying to find him – hold on. The mutants are unconscious so things are a little vague."

Inside the prison, the guards had already pulled Logan from his tank and strapped him to a gurney. With the lead scientist monitoring his vital signs, they started moving him to the other tank, which was located on the other side of the lab. Being extra cautious, they brought in extra guards – a total of 6; all armed with lethal and non-lethal weapons. If Logan were conscious, he might feel a little special receiving all that attention for little old him. Half way to the new tank, the small computer the scientist held started chirping.

"Shit – he's coming out of it. Wait – his vitals are stabilizing again. Hurry up and get him to the new tank!" He bellowed. "If this beast wakes…"

Just as he was finishing his command, the computer chirped again and he heard the unmistakable sound of restraints ripping. Wolverine reached up and grabbed him by the collar of his lab coat.

"I told ya you'd pay for zappin' me didn't I Bub?!" He yelled – trying to regain his composure and shake off the rest of the anesthesia. Had it not been for his groggy state, the scientist and half the guards would have already been dead, but fortune was on their side that night. The scientist reared back in pure fear of the now awake mutant. All he could do was cover his face and yell.

"Zap him!" one of the guards yelled as he hit Logan with a stun stick. Logan let out a blood curdling angry yell and refocused on the guard. Just as he did, the other 5 guards simultaneously hit him with stun sticks. Logan yelled so loud and jerked so hard that his entire gurney fell over with him still strapped to it. The guards stunned him again to make sure he was unconscious – which he definitely was.

"Logan!" Jean yelled!

"What is it?!" Storm inquired – fear written all over her usually calm face.

"Pain! Intense pain! They're hurting him!"

That was all Storm needed to hear. As if a light switch had suddenly been turned on, her eyes turned ghostly white and energy started emanating from her hands. She flew to a height of about 30 feet – in plain sight of 2 of the guard posts. The glow emanating from her hands quickly grew then lightening seemed to come from several different directions and converge on her body. It came through her hands and spiraled around her entire body.

"Dear God!" Jean yelled to herself. "Storm! Come back! You'll get killed!" She knew it was too late though. To Storm, the rest of the world no longer existed. War had just begun; and its name was Storm. Jean had never seen lightening encircle Storm's entire body. She also sensed something different in her mind – intense anger, nay rage - pure unadulterated rage. The ticking bomb was just about to go off.

The FLIRs on the 50-calliber guns immediately detected her and started aligning the weapons to attack. Before they could reposition themselves, she let loose 2 enormous blasts of energy that completely decimated the posts. The energy blasts were so large that the only things left were 2 large craters. Not a single trace of the posts or the 8 guards in them remained.

All hell broke loose after that. Every guard in the yard fired at Storm. With the electromagnetic field around her growing brighter and brighter, she made a very easy target; but nothing got to her. Jean heard hundreds of rounds of bullets firing at her, but they all completely incinerated once they reached the field. It was as if Storm was completely surrounded by lightening – a living breathing shield whose sole purpose was to protect her. As she rose higher, she fired blast after blast each one bigger than the previous. She took out the 4 remaining guard posts with 4 very accurate blasts. The last blast created a crater so large and deep that Jean felt the shock nearly an eighth of a mile away.

This was new territory for Storm – she had completely obliterated 24 men without giving it a second thought – or even a first. She had reached the level of one of Logan's berserker rages. Rage had so completely consumed her that all that was left were her will to fight and her combat training – both of which she had plenty of. The light emanating from her body was so bright that Jean didn't know how she could even see – let alone provide countless accurate shots against the large number of guards. Yet there she was – making every shot count. After taking out the 6 posts, she focused on the guards around the perimeter…taking them out one by one. The blasts were smaller, but still significantly more than any of the X-Men had ever seen her use. Every shot found its mark and every mark was completely destroyed. The more guards that attacked her, the larger her blasts became. The last 2 groups fired from behind cement barriers they thought would protect them. As soon as Storm turned her focus on them, she let loose 2 mighty blasts that completely destroyed them and their cement barriers - and about 4 feet of topsoil. It wasn't until then that Storm started calming down and the lightening around her started to dissipate.

"What the hell's goin' on with Storm!" Bishop yelled to Jean, completely surprising her.

"Bishop!" She yelled. "She's enraged. She's out of control!"

"Found out Logan was inside?"

"Yes"

"I knew she couldn't restrain herself enough to wait for back-up. That's why I followed. Had she not flown outta here so damn fast, I woulda been here sooner."

"As soon as I told her Logan was in pain, she went crazy."

"Doesn't look like it to me." Bishop responded. "She may have used a bit too much power, but she completely destroyed the guards AND the posts."

"Yes, but she killed them without giving it a second thought. She just…killed them; and I can't read her mind. The energy around her seems to protect her from my psychic abilities."

Just as Jean started filling Bishop in on what had happened, Storm blasted a huge hole in the side of the prison. The blast exposed one of the corridors that lead to the 2 main chambers. It also alerted all the guards inside to the situation outside – which they already knew. Guards started pouring out of every exit from the prison; but none of them fired. Central command told them what happened outside and they all started taking up position without firing – hoping to delay or not provoke Storm until they were ready. As soon as she saw them, her glow started brightening again. They could see that she was getting ready to do something and moved into place quickly. All in all, there were about 30 of them.

Bishop stood up to take aim at the mercs before they started shooting at Storm.

"Bishop, NO!" Jean yelled!

"What? They'll tear her to shreds!"

He looked to Jean for an answer but was interrupted by the mercs opening fire on Storm.

"STORM!" he yelled in a feeble attempt to save her. He tried to take aim but Jean pulled him down into the ditch.

Amid all the bullets being fired, Storm let out a blood-curdling yell – which Bishop took as a sign she had been hit. Little did he know how wrong he was. Again, the bullets never penetrated the energy surrounding her; incinerating as soon as they hit the field. Also, as her rage increased; so did the energy field. All at once she yelled and released a mighty energy blast that seemed to flow in every direction at once. It seemed like she sucked all the energy out of the atmosphere and released it at one time. It looked like an explosion of light.

Bishop tried to tried to get back up to see what was going on but Jean pulled him back down, jumping on top of his to ensure he wouldn't get up. "You don't want to do that!" she said – a look of understanding now written across her face. "Not yet!" With those words, Bishop heard the mighty crack of lightening, saw the flash of light explode overhead, and heard the rumbling of energy across the ground. He then felt the intense heat of the lightening blast flow across the ditch.

"What the hell was that!" he said, pushing Jean off of him and taking a look at what had happened. Storm still floated about 15 feet in the air and was slowly lowering herself to the ground. The glow around her had dissipated to a fraction of what it was before but was still there. What Bishop and Jean saw next amazed and astounded them. Every living thing within a 900 ft. radius of Storm had been completely incinerated. Every guard, every tree, every blade of grass – all gone; not to mention a significant amount of the prison yard. The perimeter fence had been completely destroyed, the closest wall of the prison had been severely damaged, the helipad on the roof sustained a significant amount of damage, and much of the paved ground had been completely burned away.

"How did you know?" Bishop asked.

"She told me. Just before the blast, she sent me 1 brief and very clear message – 'TAKE COVER!' I knew then what was coming."

"She's going inside – she'll need our help." Bishop said, pulling himself out of the ditch and heading toward the hole in the wall.

The one benefit that Jean and Bishop had was that Storm didn't know where Logan was. That allowed them to catch up to her shortly after entering the prison. Storm had already flown down one corridor and was doubling back toward the hole when Bishop and Jean came in.

"Storm" Jean said.

"Where is Logan?" she replied. The look on her face was very straight-forward and somber. She knew what she had done but this wasn't the time to deal with it. She would reconcile her feelings later on.

"This way" Jean said, pointing down a long corridor to the left. "He's unconscious but I can sense his presence."

"What about the guards? Where are they?"

"People are scattered – some have already left the building. There aren't too many left. I sense 11 people in the building: 9 guards and 2 scientists…one of them is Old Man!" she said to Storm and Bishop as if they had hit the jackpot. "Five guards are headed to the roof with Old Man, the other 4 and other scientist are waiting for us inside with Logan. They're setting up a last line of defense.

"Old Man!" Storm yelled – looking to Bishop for assistance. "He's going for one of the choppers on the roof."

"He's not getting away this time!" Bishop yelled. "I'll see to it. You two go get Wolverine!"

With that, Storm and Jean headed for the main lab. Storm knew Bishop wouldn't let her down. She wasn't even surprised to see him there. He had on occasion disobeyed orders when he had a gut feeling about something. Also, he had been a good friend to her and knew when she needed help.

Storm and Jean made their way to the main entrance of the lab holding Logan. The large double doors were locked from the inside – a feeble attempt to keep Storm out. The guards saw what Storm did outside. Before her explosion of energy knocked out all the cameras, they saw the damage she inflicted on the guard posts and knew the doors wouldn't pose much of a challenge. The most they could hope for was to try to get her talking and possibly shoot her with a tranquilizer.

With a single wave of her hand, Storm blew the doors in. She brazenly walked into the lab without fear of consequences. Jean cautiously followed. All the lights were out – even those on the tanks the mutants were in.

"Deliver us from darkness!" Storm proclaimed as she raised one hand and dimly lit the room with energy.

"That's far enough mutant!" a voice boomed over the intercom. Without overhead lighting it was impossible to tell where the voice was coming from.

"Show yourself!" she demanded.

"In due time. I know you came looking for your friend. He's here – and won't be harmed…as long as you do what I say."

"DO NOT TEMPT ME!" she yelled. "You and your 4 guards have TWO choices – surrender, or die! Which do you choose?"

"Personally I'd rather come up with a third, more plausible option…one that involves me leaving and you not following."

"You lost that option the day you held a gun to my daughter's head and kidnapped my husband." Storm and Jean continued to walk through the room. They couldn't see much, but knew they were surrounded by tanks – all with mutants inside.

"I suppose that would put a damper on our friendship…" the voice nervously chuckled. "Would it help if I told you I had nothing to do with the kidnapping or the incident with your daughter and that I wish I had never SEEN that animal you call a husband?"

"Not likely!" the weather goddess boldly replied. "I would have found you…AND these missing mutants." She saw the control panel on an elevated deck and headed toward it.

"Yes, I suppose you would have…NOW!" the voice yelled as the lights suddenly came on. Storm and Jean were in the middle of a clearing when all 4 mean opened fire with tranquilizer guns – 1 for Jean and 3 for Storm. A sudden and immense gust of wind blew all 4 darts off target – leaving the guards and scientist in a very difficult situation. They dared not fire their lethal weapons against Storm. They knew what she was capable of, and also knew when the battle was over. That time had come and she had won. With the lights on, Storm easily spotted the scientist peering out from a computer station in the control center. She quickly took to the air and landed in front of him, grabbing him and pinning him against the wall. Her eyes glowed icy white and her hands burned where she held him.

"But how???" the scientist confusingly asked.

"If you want to surprise someone…" she said with an air of confidence, make sure they don't have a TELEPATH with them! Throw down your weapons!" she commanded of the 4 remaining guards. "Throw down your weapons and LEAVE!" Not needing a second warning, all 4 took the opportunity to flee with their lives. This gave Jean a great deal of comfort. She saw a bit of the old Storm returning…the Storm that would choose diplomacy over battle. She hoped to see more after they found Logan.

"WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?" Storm commanded of the scientist.

"He's there!" he nervously said, pointing a shaky finger in a direction just to the right of the control center. "Please don't kill me!" he begged – now in utter agony from the burning around his neck and chest. "I didn't hurt him – I swear! I didn't hurt ANY of them! I took good care of all of them." The scowl she gave him told him that his proclamation only angered her more and that it was best for him to leave well enough alone – he was alive for the time being.

Jean had already headed toward Logan; Storm was close behind – still dragging the scientist. They walked around the corner to an oversized tank. Logan was submerged in the middle of it. The site of his unconscious body made Storm gasp. She threw the scientist to the ground and ran to his tank.

"Jean, Get him OUT of there!" she commanded.

Using her telepathic powers, she lifted the top off the tank and lifted Logan's body out; laying it gently on the ground. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to escape, the scientist eased away from the 3 X-Men and tried to slip away. An energy blast hitting mere inches from his feet stopped his retreat. Storm may have been focused on Wolverine, but she wasn't about to let this scientist escape.

"Your next step will be your LAST!" she commanded, not even taking the time to look up at him. "How do we revive him?" she asked.

"I don't know." Jean responded.

"How?!" Storm yelled to the scientist.

"We just gave him an extra dose of anesthesia. He'll be out for a couple of hours."

"There's no way to bring him out of it now?"

"Not safely – it's best to let the anesthetic wear off."

Meanwhile on the roof, Old Man and his band of guards ran for the first chopper – the luxurious S76. As they neared it, they realized it had been significantly damaged by Storm's blast.

"This one is no good." One of the guards said. "That mutant did a real number on it."

"That was my personal transport!" Old Man grimaced. "I practically LIVED in that thing!" They could see that the next two also had been damaged, the second unflyable but third not nearly as bad – it looked fly-able. The further away from the damaged side of the building, the better condition the helicopters were in. The fourth chopper looked to be in good shape – or at least good enough to make an escape. All 5 guards and Old Man were inside trying to start the engine when a blast from a gun hit the main rotor, sending it crashing to the ground in several pieces. Another blast sent all 6 men flying out of the chopper in fear that it would be destroyed with them in it. They tried to take up a defensive posture but Bishop already had them pinned down.

"I've got the Old Man in my site!" Bishop yelled, revealing himself and his very large weapon. "However ya wanna play it, you'll lose!"

"Sir, what do you want us to do?" One of the guards said to Old man.

"Take him out!" he replied. "But wait." he said as he activated a device on his arm. "NOW!" he yelled.

The guard dove for his gun just as Bishop opened fire. Every single shot was deflected by a shield surrounding Old Man – giving him ample time to take cover. Three of the guards began firing at Bishop while the other 2 and Old Man made their way to the final helicopter. By the time one guard had the final chopper started, there was only one remaining guard still conscious outside. The second guard inside motioned for him to get in. Cover fire was laid down to shield his retreat but they didn't count on Bishop's accuracy. He was able to peg the final guard before he ever made it inside. The guard inside again laid down fire as the helicopter lifted off the pad. Bishop targeted the choppers fuel cell and prepared to fire on it. **_No, I have a better idea._** he said to himself as he reached inside his pocket and pulled out an electronic device. He loaded his weapon with a tracker and retargeted the retreating helicopter then fired – hitting the underbelly of the Hughes 500 Defender. The chopper quickly made a retreat into the night sky – headed east toward Sacramento. Bishop gave a few missed shots to complete the image of an escape, then quickly took cuffs from the 3 downed guards and tied them together, securing the final one to one of the damaged chopper legs. He then quickly ran to his car and headed east, tracking the Defender.

Inside the prison; Storm, Jean, and the lead scientist all stood around the unconscious Wolverine.

"We HAVE to bring him out of it!" Storm yelled.

"With his unique mutant ability, anything is possible. The anesthesia should normally wear off in a couple hours, but if he gets excited or mad, there's no telling what. When I studied him, the only thing I concluded was that he was too unpredictable to study and a pain in the ass to deal with." he said – rubbing his arm where Wolverine had cut him. It may take 2 hours, it may take 2 minutes. Try talking to him." The Scientist had become a lot more cooperative since he had been captured. He figured 2 things: Storm was dangerous and mad enough to kill him and WOULD if he pissed her off; and when Logan woke up, "good behavior" might convince the 2 X-Women to spare his life. "Try talking to him. Your presence MIGHT stimulate him."

"Logan…" Storm softly whispered into his ear. "Logan…wake up." His body stirred a little but he remained unconscious. Storm shot a glare at the scientist then whispered in Logan's ear again. "Logan, please wake up. It's me – Stor…" Just then he reached up and grabbed her - pulling her on top of him and giving her a huge kiss. "Logan!" she yelled – pulling back and looking at his now open eyes. "You're awake!" she said – her tearful smile showing how ecstatic she was to see him.

"Yeah Darlin' – with a fine-assed woman like you whisperin' in my ear, what'd ya expect!" He was still groggy but sat up on the floor. Being awake made his healing factor work faster. He quickly recovered from the effects of the anesthesia and then realized he was sitting there in the buff in front of Storm and Jean. Not feeling the least bit embarrassed, he turned back to Storm.

"Tasha safe?" he asked.

"Yes she is." Storm replied – the smile still very large on her face.

"Good!" he responded, looking around the room. YOU!" he yelled when he spotted the scientist. "I got a bone ta pick with you!" -**SNIKT**- He jumped to his feet and pointed 3 claws at the scientist. "In fact, I think I'll pick ALL of 'em!"

"No." Storm said – placing her hand on his chest and softly restraining him. "Don't hurt him. He has been very cooperative."

He unwillingly withdrew his claws – knowing full well that he wouldn't do anything in front of Storm and Jean. "Bub, you don't know how lucky you are!"

"Believe me, I do!" the scientist responded.

"Gimme your clothes!" Logan replied.

"What?"

"Um standin' here in the buff! Gimme your clothes or gimme my old clothes back."

"Your clothes were destroyed."

"So hand over the duds! And you owe me $600 bucks!"

"What?!"

"Those were custom-made cowboy kicks and an Akubra hat you tossed out! Both gifts from her!" he said, pointing to Storm."

"I don't know what to tell you…I don't have $600 on me."

"BY THE GODDESS!" Storm shrieked.

"What?!" everyone yelled – looking over at her. She had just discovered the body of the 2-year old girl on the examination table. She turned to the scientist – her eyes burning white.

"Dear God!" he said; knowing full well he was about to die.

"A BABY! How COULD you?!" She yelled.

"I didn't! PLEASE believe me I DIDN'T!" He dropped to his knees begging her to believe him. "She came in like that! I was supposed to examine her but I couldn't. I just couldn't! She looked just like my daughter. I couldn't do it. PLEASE believe me."

"He's telling the truth Storm." Jean said. "The child came in like that. He didn't kill her. He couldn't examine her – he tried but he couldn't."

"WHO DID THIS!?" Storm commanded. "OLD MAN?"

"Yes…" the scientist replied – still on his knees.

"Where did this child come from? Sacramento?"

"Yes, YES – the Sacramento lab."

"There are others there?"

"Yes – 10 or 15. I don't know exactly how many."

"Where is this lab?"

"I don't know."

"WHERE IS IT?!

"I DON'T know!" he said in tears. "I really don't know! I've never been there. The only reason I know about it is because I was put in charge of backing up all of the data from both labs after you discovered the Castle facility. I've never been there – I just know it's in Sacramento."

Storm looked around the lab then tapped her comm badge.

"Bishop!" There was no answer.

"Bishop!" she yelled again. It was then she realized her comm badge had been completely destroyed – probably when her energy field encompassed her body.

"Jean, my comm badge is out – give me yours." Jean handed her badge to Storm and she immediately called for Bishop again.

"Bishop here."

"Where are you?"

"Eastbound 80 – headed for Sacramento."

"Old Man got away?"

"No – I'm tracking him now. I figure he's headed for the Sacramento facility."

"I need you here! Come back to the Prison and help Jean. Logan and I will follow Old Man."

"Sure thing. You can track Old Man's chopper on your combat PDA. I'll be back in Vacaville in 10 minutes."

"Copy that Bishop – Storm out!"

She reached inside her pocket and pulled out her PDA. Upon opening it, she realized it had been completely destroyed just liked the comm badge. "Goddess!" she proclaimed. "It doesn't work!" Jean pulled hers out and gave it to Storm.

"Try this one – it should work fine." Sure enough it worked and picked up Bishop's bug.

She then turned to Jean. "Jean, Call Scott and have him meet you here. Logan, do you feel strong enough to help me in Sacramento?"

"Try and stop me Darlin'!"

"Do you still remember how to fly a helicopter?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I saw a small fleet on the roof."

They headed for the roof and found the 3 guards tied to the first helicopter. They also saw the completely destroyed fourth helicopter as well as the space for the missing fifth.

"Damn!" Storm proclaimed, looking at the damaged third chopper.

"What the hell happened here?" Logan asked – looking at all of the damage done to the prison.

"I got angry!" Storm replied.

"YOU did all of this???"

"Yes, get over here and assess the damage of this helicopter she ordered."

He quickly evaluated it. "It's all cosmetic…she'll fly."

"Are you sure?"

"If she'll start, she'll fly…these Hueys are built like tanks…they can take a lot more damage than this."

"Good, let's go!"

"One problem though."

"What is it?"

"That chopper" he said – looking at the destroyed helicopter "That's a Defender – maneuverable, quick and quiet. This is a Huey. They'll here us coming from at least 5 miles out. They'll have time ta drink a beer, take a leak, AND get ready for us. Hope you're not plannin' a sneak attack Darlin'." he grimaced. "Next time Bishop blows up some choppers, tell him to start with the noisy ones and leave the quiet ones fer us."

"The element of surprise is not a factor. They'll know we're coming anyway."

"You not worried about that?"

"They are the ones who should be concerned, not I."

"Damn Storm. How long have I been out? What's gotten into you?"

"What has gotten into me? Tasha having a gun pointed at her head, you being taken, dead babies…what more do you need?" Her eyes were still icy white and Logan knew this wasn't good. He'd seen himself when he was that angry, and not many people could calm him down from it. That was bad enough; but he however couldn't control the weather. It didn't take a meteorologist to know that a storm was coming – a mighty big one.

"Calm down Darlin' I don't know what happened at the prison back there, but I sure as hell know what death smells like. You okay?"

"No, I am not…but do not worry about me."

Though Storm had calmed down considerably after she found Logan, the site of the dead infant really disturbed her. She couldn't get that image out of her head. All she could think about was the other 10 – 15 babies. It was bad enough experimenting on adult mutants, but the thought of a 2-year old baby that had never seen the light of day or been held by her mother really hurt the maternal weather goddess.


	5. Chapter 5 Feet Don't Fail Me Now!

Chapter 5 – Feet, Don't Fail me Now!

The flight to Sacramento was very short, but in other ways was also very long. Logan had many questions but knew it wasn't the time to ask. He above all else knew when to focus on the mission and used the time to get his mindset back in top shape.

"Not waitin' fer backup eh?"

"The satellite images Bishop downloaded showed light security. I can handle it."

"Don't you mean 'WE' Darlin'?"

She didn't answer – prompting Logan to stop asking questions.

"Head south, 3 degrees; then follow the river." Coming into Sacramento, they saw the industrial area and the 6 buildings in the satellite pics. They also saw the helicopter on the helipad next to one of the facilities - a 2-story building just off the river's edge. Both stories had floor to ceiling windows with a very modern style of architecture. Just as Bishop said, it was a secured facility; but not heavily fortified like the prison. Most of the security consisted of its isolated location – it was in an area of Sacramento that few people traveled to. Old Man relied on its seclusion as its main means of secrecy. The only real security was a guard post at the entrance and electronic defense measures attached to the building. Had Storm not spotted the helicopter, they would have had a hard time distinguishing it from the other buildings in the area. Bishop's idea of marking the chopper worked perfectly.

Storm told Wolverine to head for the helipad.

"As soon as you land, make sure both of the choppers are disabled." she ordered, the then walked back to the open cargo door.

"What ya got planned Darlin'?" Logan asked.

"I plan to announce our presence." she said in a very forceful tone. She then jumped into the darkness of the night, dropping nearly 100 feet before allowing a gust of wind to carry her to the roof of the facility. Logan headed for the helipad and watched as Storm elegantly landed near an electrical sub station. Just before she landed, Logan saw her start glowing – not her hands like he had seen before; but her whole body – something that greatly troubled him. He saw her literally grab hold of a capacitor – something that would have fried a normal human being and most mutants. Within seconds the entire capacitor started glowing icy hot. Sparks flew as the unit overloaded with energy. There was a small explosion then the entire facility went completely dark.

"That's my girl!" Logan said with a smirk. As soon as the power went out, the back-up generator kicked in providing emergency electricity to key areas. Storm heard the emergency generator kick in behind her and quickly silenced it with an energy blast. The entire facility was now completely dark.

"That'll make security think twice about takin' her on." Logan said. He landed on the helipad and with a quick slice through some fuel lines, both choppers were disabled. Finding Storm was pretty easy for Wolverine and his keen senses. All he had to do was look at the only thing glowing in the entire area. He quickly rejoined her and prepared for the infiltration of the building.

"The direct approach eh Ro? What next – storm the building?"

"No – I have a better idea." she said – taking off into the air and flying to the NE corner of the building. "You may want to cover your ears. This will be loud." she yelled to Logan.

"What'll be lou…" Just then she let loose a blast so loud that every window on the northern and eastern sides completely shattered. The blast was so loud it knocked Logan off his feet. "Damn! She wasn't lying" he yelled, holding his ears. His super sense of hearing definitely left his head ringing.

She then flew to the SW side of the building and let loose an equally impressive blast. Within seconds, every window in the building had been completely shattered and the interior of the building had been exposed.

"LEAVE OR DIE!" she yelled. "THOSE ARE YOUR OPTIONS" she told everyone in the building. The 2 guards that came with Old Man, along with 4 others from the facility, were the first to respond. They had all taken aim at Storm from a second floor corner office but had yet to fire. Old Man was there as well – kneeling behind the guards.

"Wat'll we do Cap?" One said – showing significant doubt about his next actions.

"You wanna die?" The C.O. said. "The pay is good, but ya can't spend it if you're dead." He then put the safety on his Carbine and shouldered it. "Good luck Old Man. You're gonna need it!" he said as he lit a cigar and walked away.

"Get back here!" Old Man yelled. "I'm paying you! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT! PROTECT ME!"

"Against her? You saw what she did in Vacaville. What am I supposed ta use – harsh language? Besides – I'm sure Wolverine is free by now; and I DON'T wanna be here when he comes knockin' at the door." Each guard shouldered their weapons and followed the C.O. out of the office toward the helipad. There were several other workers in the building that took the opportunity to leave. From her altitude, Storm saw and allowed each person to peacefully exit the building – until she saw 2 men walking out in lab coats. Two energy blasts literally inches away from their feet stopped them cold in their track.

"YOU TWO STAY!" she yelled. She then flew down to meet them. "Where is Old Man?"

"The last time I saw him, he was in his office." one responded. "Second floor on the SE side of the building."

"Where are the children?" she commanded.

"Lower level. The lab is in the lower level. Nobody else is down there."

Meanwhile at the helipad, the 6 guards had just made it back to the Defender and tried to start it.

"Something's wrong!" The C.O. yelled. "Check the engine." Five of the 6 guards got out of the chopper and started checking it out. Two of the 5 tried to start the Huey but had no luck.

**SNIKT**

Each man knew exactly what that sound was and quickly drew their weapons.

"Told ya this wasn't over Bub!" Logan yelled to the C.O.

"I figured I'd run in to you again Wolverine." The C.O. said rather calmly, still puffing on his cigar.

"You figured right. Now um gonna collect on that bill you owe."

"You're a good adversary." The C.O. continued. "Having a man like you on my team would be well worth it... What say you join us?" he said, confidently puffing on his cigar. The men could see Logan's silhouette quietly stalking them as if he was about to pounce.

"Hah – you got nerve, I'll give ya that. But the only team you'll be joinin' is the one goin' straight ta hell."

"I don't think so…'" he responded. You see, I expected to see you again."

"And…?"

"And I prepared a little surprise for ya." he said as he pulled a small timer from his chest pocket and tossed it to Logan."

"Whuzzat? A timer…with 8 minutes left on it."

"Yeah – 8 minutes till the lab goes up. And only I know where the kill switch is."

"So that means I got 8 minutes to kill ya and sniff out the trigger…that's 7 minutes longer than I need."

"Yeah – you can do that, but I'm wired…you use those claws and cut ANY wire on me, the entire lab goes up. I call it INSURANCE."

"So where's the trigger?"

"It's in the safe – second floor, center of the building. Oh – it's encased in 8 inches of titanium. I have no doubt you can slice through it…it'll take ya about 7 minutes. Ya better hurry…BUB."

"This ain't over!" Logan yelled, heading for the building.

"Yes it is." The C.O. said with a chuckle as he and his 5 guards headed for the parking lot.

Logan made it to the center of the building in less than 30 seconds. With his animal keen eyesight, he had no problem traversing the architecture of the facility. He located the safe and madly started slicing at the hinges. Had they been external hinges, he would have been inside the safe in mere seconds, but the internal hinges were encased in titanium. It took him a good 4 minutes to get through the door. The inside of the safe was pitch black except for a small box with a blinking red light on it. Logan grabbed it and ran to the moonlight shining in from the broken window to see what it was. It looked to be a transmitter but when Logan pushed the button, the light continued to flash. Shit! he yelled to himself. He quickly pulled the back off the transmitter and looked inside. All he saw was a battery attached to a light and a small note folded inside. The note read "Seeya around…BUB." Logan laughed at how easily he had been suckered. There never was a bomb. The C.O. was a professional mercenary. Either he didn't want to waste the explosives or he saw no real reason to kill anyone he wasn't hired to kill. Either way, it was clear that he only needed the diversion to give him enough time to get away from Logan; which he did.

_Meanwhile outside the building…_

"Take me to Old Man!" Storm yelled to the 2 scientists. Both men walked back into the building with her. Storm lit the way as they walked up the central staircase to the second floor. Just as they exited the staircase, shots fired in their direction. One scientist let out a blood-curdling yell as he was hit and killed instantly. The other scientist dove for cover. Storm saw the muzzle flash and threw 2 energy blasts in that direction. Though her blasts were extremely accurate, neither penetrated Old Man's shield.

She turned to the remaining scientist and hit him with an energy blast. It wasn't strong enough to kill him, but it knocked him unconscious. She then turned toward Old Man and her hands started glowing again. Within a few seconds the glow had spread from her hands and lightening again encompassed her whole body. She calmly and forcefully walked down the hall. Old Man emptied an entire magazine from his Colt .45 semi-auto. He quickly reloaded and emptied another magazine into her. None of his bullets penetrated her energy field. She heard the unmistakable click of an empty chamber and gave him a slight grin. Just then, she threw an incredible energy blast at him. It didn't penetrate his shield, but it did knock him back several feet. She quickly followed up with 2 more blasts…each draining his shield a little more. She saw the device on Old Man's arm. It was very similar to the one Benson used against her and the other X-Men at the Castle lab. Seeing it, she sent 2 more blasts directly at it. The second one overloaded the shield, and in a flash of blue light, the shield disappeared and the device strapped to Old Man's wrist went completely dead. Old Man knew his life was over then.

"Get back you…you MUTANT!" She grabbed Old Man – whom she found wasn't really that old, in his early fifties and in pretty good shape – and threw him against the wall. With her icy white eyes, she looked at him and angrily said "Take me to the children!" The silk tie, shirt, and sports coat had already started to burn and he felt the intense heat and electricity coursing through the skin around his neck and chest.

"Okay…you win. I'll take you!" Old Man said in a surrendering voice.

"If you try anything, you'll be dead before you finish the thought!" she yelled as she led him out the door and down the hall toward the staircase. They passed the 2 scientists by the staircase and Old Man grimaced at the site of his dead employee.

"It is clear that you do not care WHO you hurt!" Storm yelled when she saw Old Man looking at the scientist. "You killed your own scientist; just like you killed that CHILD I saw in Vacaville!" she said. He felt the heat increase around his neck when her anger spiked. "You better hope that the other children are all okay!" They walked into the basement and through the large doors of the lab. Storm was surprised to see the lights still on. She quickly realized the lab had its own back-up generator separate from the external units. The lab was very small – filled with tanks similar to Castle and Vacaville but much smaller. There were probably 40 or 50 tanks but most of them were empty. It gave a clear indicator of what Old Man had planned for the future.

"Is THIS what you were looking for?" Old man said, opening his arms to the entire lab.

"How could you?" she asked, looking around at the 12 infants in different stages of growth. The youngest looked to be only a few weeks old and the oldest was probably 2.

"How could I? You ask me that; YOU of all people should know why. You and your group of mutant gangsters! How many are in your little group? I saw 5 of you on the surveillance tape at Castle, and I know there are more – how large has your mutant ARMY grown? What do you have planned for your group? World domination?"

"My friends and I joined together to STOP mad men like you. People like you hate us. You hunt us, you kill us, you make life impossible for us!"

"Impossible for you? After you broke into my lab at Castle, I researched you and your friends. You've been at the center of a LOT of mutant activity. You, your Professor Xavier that ANIMAL Wolverine, the one you call CYCLOPS…and all your other freak friends; that's right – I know more about you than you think! You walk through walls, imitate anyone you want, steal whatever you want and you cause all kinds of mayhem; and SOMEBODY has to stop you before it's too late! If the government won't do it, it's up to people like ME! One way or another, we WILL win this war!"

"This WAR? DO YOU SEE YOUR ENEMIES!" she yelled, pointing to the children. She grabbed him by the collar and pushed his face against the tank of the newborn. "THIS IS WHO YOU WAGED WAR AGAINST – AN INFANT! What threat does this infant pose to you?"

"It's not the INFANT I'm worried about – it's what happens when that freak grows up!" he countered.

"You have the gall to kidnap mutants, experiment on us, then take our children and you think WE are the threat? We become the threat when YOU treat us like this! By the GODDESS!" she yelled. She had enough of his bigotry and stupidity. She spotted the control platform and pushed him toward it. "Are there any more labs?" she asked.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because your miserable life depends on it." she replied.

"What – sit in a prison cell for the rest of my life...forget it. I'd rather DIE – I'll be a MARTYR!"

"You will not die a martyr, you will die a bigot – a MURDERER! Only then, when you stand before the gates of hell, will you see the error of your ways!"

They reached the control platform and Storm looked around the darkened area. It was very similar to Castle – set up so whoever was in it could monitor everything at a glance. It was larger though – with a connecting room to the side. The doors were open but the room was darkened. Storm could see the silhouette of furniture inside and pushed Old Man toward it. After entering, Storm hit the lights and saw the worst horror she could ever imagine – 2 infant twins on examination tables; both cut open and dissected like a high-school biology experiment. The site was so horrific that she was literally left speechless. Old Man looked back at her stunned silence and saw the icy look of his very brief future. She gasped as her eyes turned white and energy started seeping from her hands and encircling her in light. He was able to dive for cover just as Storm let out an agonizing yell. The energy inside her built up so quickly that she didn't even have time to direct it. A blast of energy flew out of her body. It was so big that it decimated the wall in front of her. By the time the blast dissipated, the wall and the ground behind it had been completely destroyed, leaving a gaping hole toward the surface. Storm immediately fell to her knees and started weeping. In all her years with the X-Men, she had never seen anything so horrific.

Upstairs, Logan saw the huge energy blast rip through the building. It looked like a huge tube of lightening shooting toward the sky. He couldn't see how far it stretched, but it easily reached the outer atmosphere. Luckily there didn't appear to be any planes in the sky; they would have surely been destroyed. As soon as the energy dissipated, a loud crack of thunder rolled across the sky. It was followed by a louder and longer crack. Before he knew it, the weather had gone completely crazy. Winds picked up to near tornado speeds, lightening cracked, rain came out of nowhere and pummeled the area, it looked like Armageddon. "Storm!" he yelled – taking off toward the lab.

Inside the lab, Storm lay on the ground weeping. Old Man saw this as his chance to escape and quickly made a dash for it. Before he could even get out of the room, Storm grabbed him and threw him against the wall. "WHY?!" she yelled. "THEY WERE JUST BABIES!"

"THEY WERE MUTANTS! Eventually they would have used their freak powers against us NORMAL people!"

The energy coming from her hands was so hot that his skin immediately burned with second-degree welts. He yelled in agony, but to no avail. He looked into her demon like eyes for one last time before everything went white. He then yelled one last time before the energy encompassed his whole body and silenced him forever.

"Storm!" Logan yelled, finally finding her in the lab. The light around her was so bright that he couldn't even see Old Man – all he saw was Storm pinning something against the wall. "Storm! Calm down!" he yelled. She didn't hear him. He tried to grab her but the heat coming from her was so hot that he could only get to within 4 or 5 feet of her. "RO!" he yelled. "RO! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

She finally heard him and snapped out of it. She pulled back from the wall but whatever was there had been completely incinerated. Logan grabbed a fire extinguisher and put the object out. Luckily the wall was made of metal or it to would have gone up in flames. Parts of it had already started to melt. It wasn't until he had extinguished the fire that he realized the burning object was a person.

"What the hell?" he said to himself. He'd seen Storm kill before, but in self-defense; not like this. He'd never seen her kill or even try to kill someone purely out of anger. Looking around the room, he saw the 2 infants on the lab tables. "Oh God!" he said, looking back at Storm then again at the children. Storm had again fallen to the ground and was weeping. Logan couldn't tell if she was weeping because of the dead children or because of what she had done to Old Man – or both.

"Ro?" he asked. He walked over and knelt down to hold her. He could still feel the energy emanating from her body when he put his arms around her. He could also hear the thunder outside; pulsing with ever sob of her breath. Every sigh matched perfectly with a lightening strike. Logan saw the flashes of light through the large hole in the lab. It seemed as if heaven itself was crying.

"What have I done?" she proclaimed, grabbing on to Logan's arm.

"Ro…"

"How many people have died tonight by my hand?"

"Ro, nobody would blame you for this…I mean – seeing what you saw would drive anybody crazy; and most of 'em woulda done a lot more killing than you."

"But tonight…what I did…it goes against EVERYTHING I have fought for."

"No Storm, it doesn't. More than anything, it shows EXACTLY what you've been fighting for. You and I both know that there have been casualties on both sides of this. We've all lost people close to us. You also know that if Old Man could have put YOU in one of those tanks, he would have…and those might have been YOUR children laying over there on those tables."

"My children?" she asked – looking to him with a hint of understanding.

"Yeah, YOUR BABIES…your twins; or even Tasha or Jubilee. Hell, if you hadn't come and rescued me, they mighta had my ass strapped to a table. I'm not saying what you did was right Ro, but it's damn sure understandable; and ya sure gotta know I woulda sliced through everybody and their cousin if they had taken you."

"Half of California…" she said faintly, still sobbing but this time with her chin slightly up.

"Eh?"

"You would have sliced through half of California." She said with a slight smile.

"And their cousin!" Logan said with a laugh, trying seriously to lighten her mood.

Logan helped Storm to her feet and escorted her back into the main lab. He figured that as long as she was away from the exam room, she would focus on the 12 infants in the tanks. He knew she had a LOT more reconciling to do, but he also knew they had a lot more work to do with the mutants in Vacaville and the infants in Sacramento. Storm being the commander that she was wouldn't rest until the entire mission had been completed. His plan worked perfectly. As soon as she saw the other infants, she started working on ways to get the children safely out of the tanks. Logan quietly returned to the exam room and covered the twins with sheets.

Storm's comm badge had again been fried; so Beast and Professor Xavier were very surprised to get a collect call from Logan from a payphone just outside the building. After a few minutes and Beast's creative ingenuity, a secure link had been set up between Salem Center, the Vacaville lab, and the Sacramento lab. Logan figured that with all the info Old Man had on the X-Men, he didn't want to risk giving out any more information by directly contacting Salem Center from the lab. Setting up a secured satellite uplink from SC using an untraceable route was much safer.

Within 4 hours, the Blackbird had landed in Vacaville and the other X-Men started helping the mutants. Time was of the essence because the sun was due to come up soon. The prison was secluded but stood next to a small freeway. The freeway was seldom used, but the damage Storm had inflicted on the structure could easily be seen. Jean, Bishop, Cyclops, and Rogue had their hands full. With Jean being present, they were able to bring all the mutants safely out of their tanks and revive them. One by one, each mutant woke to the beautiful faces of Jean and Rogue, then the serious looks of Bishop and Cyclops. The X-Men found that the mutants were either homeless or lived in seclusion – just as Storm had predicted. That was how Old Man was able to kidnap them without anyone noticing. Had it not been for the data found at the Castle lab, Old Man could have kidnapped any number of homeless mutants without anyone ever noticing.

Back in Sacramento, Beast had landed near the helipad with the Blackbird 2 – a smaller jet capable of carrying the 3 X-Men, Tasha, Jubilee, and all the infants. By the time he landed, Storm and Wolverine had already taken all of the infants out of their tanks. Most of them had awoken and were showing strong vital signs – which greatly improved Storm's mood. Beast did a preliminary physical on all of them and said the initial results looked very promising.

"Will you be returning to Salem Center with us?" Beast asked curiously.

"Hah! Try and stop her!" Wolverine responded with a laugh.

"Yes Beast, I will return with you?" she said, holding the youngest infant in her hands. "I have already contacted Jubilee and Tasha and told them to meet us here."

"Very good then, we should be on our way. The sun will be up soon, and I'm afraid the site of this building will draw some unwanted attention. We've gotten all the data we can from this facility, and the scientist we recovered will soon be dropped off with the proper authorities. I'm sure with the surveillance tape from the security system, they will find plenty of evidence to lock him away for a substantial amount of time."

Three days later, Storm called Jean and Cyclops in Vacaville. They remained behind and booked an entire hotel to house the newly freed mutants. With Professor Xavier's generosity, each mutant received a new wardrobe, some cash for a new start, and an invitation back to Salem Center. Very few took him up on his offer, but they all appreciated the assistance. He prepaid their hotel bill for the next 2 months – giving them plenty of time to get back on their feet. He also left his invitation open to all who wanted to take him up on it. Jean reported that everything had gone very well and they would soon be headed back to Salem Center. With that in hand, Storm, Wolverine, and the rest of the X-Men turned their attention to a much sadder note – the funeral service and final resting place of the twins.

Due to Beast's diligence, he was able to locate the parents of the twins – 2 college students from Castle. At first, neither wanted anything to do with the infants. Storm figured that since the children were dead, the parents thought there was nothing else they could do, and that seeing them would only rehash old memories of what had happened. It helped that neither of them had ever seen the children. From the computer records they retrieved from Castle, both of the parents knew that they had been used for reproductive experiments, but that's all they knew. Storm tried to be understanding of the parent's choice not to get involved and told them she would take care of everything. She was very relieved to receive 2 separate phone calls from the young parents a couple days later. It seemed that both had changed their minds and wanted to come to the funeral services.

All of the available X-Men turned out for the private ceremony. They buried the children right there at Salem Center in a secluded but very beautiful spot chosen by Storm. There wasn't a dry eye in the entire group – not even from Wolverine. They had all just been reminded of why they did the things they did and why their mission was so important. Though none of them knew the 2 children, all the X-Men felt as if they had somehow failed to protect them – especially Storm. She took a personal vow to never allow something like that to happen again.


	6. Berserker Storm Epilogue

Epilogue

Nearly 2 weeks passed before Storm, Logan and Tasha returned to California and rejoined Jubilee - who returned a week prior. They brought with them someone else – a small 10-month old boy to be united with his mother. The other 11 infants had all been united with their parents – or at least one of the parents. It was a very pleasant surprise to Professor Xavier and the other X-Men that all the parents wanted to take an active role in the lives of their children despite the fact that none of them planned to have children – or even remembered giving birth. It seemed that the only good thing to come from the imprisonment of the mutants was that for all they went through, finding and raising their children gave them control over the final outcome of the whole ordeal.

This twelfth child was a special delivery for Logan and Storm. Both of them knew the mother and had grown quite close to her. Her name was Lisa Johnston – the first missing mutant Logan found. She was most excited to be reunited with the child she had given birth to but never seen. She had been dreaming of this day ever since Beast first told her what he found when he examined her.

Logan, Storm and Tasha pulled up in front of Lisa's house just before noon. Jubilee was already there. She and Lisa had become good friends after the ordeal at Castle and often visited each other. She also played a significant role in helping Lisa embrace her mutant powers and get comfortable with her newly found gifts.

Both Lisa and Jubilee ran to the van when they saw it pull up. Lisa's parents followed closely behind. Lisa ran to Storm, who was holding the bubbly baby.

"Lisa!" Storm yelled with a huge smile across her face.

"Storm!" Lisa replied; looking at her and at the sleeping baby. "This…is him?" she nervously said.

"Yes it is." Storm said with a smile.

"Can…can I hold him?" Storm cheerfully handed him over. "I…I never held a baby before."

"You're doing fine." Storm replied.

They all went inside and sat down. Lisa and her parents rarely looked up, they couldn't take their eyes off the beautiful baby Lisa now held in her arms. It only took a couple minutes before tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of Lisa and her mother. Even her father teared up a little.

"Now look at that…" Logan said with a smile. "You're gonna get the baby wet!"

"He's so beautiful!" Lisa responded.

"That he is." Storm replied.

"What's his name?" Lisa asked.

"Well…" Storm replied. "He doesn't have a name…not yet at least. That's something the MOTHER should give him right?" Lisa looked up with a slightly puzzled look on her face. She then smiled from ear to ear.

"I'm going to name him LOGAN!" she said with a great deal of happiness. Everyone looked at Wolverine – who by now was grinning from ear to ear and almost tearing up.

"Wolvie! You have a namesake!" Jubilee cheered.

"What the…Logan?" Logan tried to regain his composure but it was too late…the smile on his face betrayed his usually tough exterior. "Yeah…that's a good name…good tough name! That'll work!" he said with an air of pride.

They all settled into the afternoon. Jubilee, Logan and Tasha unloaded the van – which was filled to the top with every physical thing a baby could ever use for the next couple years. Every X-Man in the mansion went shopping and bought gifts for Lisa and her son. What wasn't covered in actual gifts was covered in the many gift cards they sent. Even Bishop sent a $500 gift card from Toys R Us. It truly showed the good-natured side of the X-Men.

Storm went over every detail of what Beast and Professor Xavier said about baby Logan. She told Lisa and her parents that since baby Logan had virtually no physical contact for 10 months, he was due for a lot of TLC. She also told her that Professor Xavier tried his best to reverse the effects of the lack of intellectual stimuli. Being in a tank for 10 months when other babies were being cuddled and spoken to had taken its toll. Luckily, he was in the presence of 2 of the world's most powerful psychics – one of them being the very motherly Jean Grey. They were able to communicate with him and take care of much of the damage. They thought that with a good amount of TLC, the baby would be just fine. Professor X also had some very good news for Lisa. As with the other mutants, muscular atrophy had been kept to a minimum and the baby would probably start walking soon. He also noticed that for not having any emotional stimuli, the baby seemed very smart, responding very quickly to some of his psychic sessions. He surmised that the child would have a very promising future – especially with a mother like Lisa; someone Storm, Jubilee, and Logan all spoke highly of. That brought a very large smile to Lisa's face. Storm told her that it would be tough though, and there would definitely be hurdles to overcome but that everyone involved believed everything would eventually be okay.

Before the evening was over, Lisa asked Storm and Logan if they would be the godparents of baby Logan. They happily accepted.

The next evening back in Davis, Logan went to the store and picked up some food and beer. When he returned, he found a note on the refrigerator that said "Tasha is with Jubilee, needed some air – Ro." He looked outside and saw Storm's Mitsubishi still in the driveway. After calling to her and getting no response, he went to the garage and saw an empty space where his Harley used to be. That was all he needed to figure out where she was. Being in the city of Davis, she couldn't just fly off. His scoot was the next best thing. He quickly hopped in her car and sped off into the sunset headed toward Lake Berryessa. Forty minutes later he pulled into their favorite spot and saw his scoot. After that, it took mere minutes to track her down. He found her sitting on the lakeshore not too far from where Logan had been kidnapped – where it all began.

"Thought I'd find ya here Darlin'. What ya thinkin' bout?"

"Hi Sweetie." she said, not looking up at him. "I just needed to get away and clear my head."

"Figured as much…this mission really took its toll on you hasn't it."

"I…I just cannot believe…" she had a difficult time getting the words out…a sure sign that it was really eating away at her.

"You wanna tell me what happened? I read your briefing, also saw Jean's…but you wanna tell me what's not in the reports?"

"Can I ask you something Logan?"

"Shoot…"

"What do you think of when you experience your berserker rages?"

"I don't…"

"You don't think of anything?"

"Its pure reaction…my mind is completely clear and all that's left is training."

"What do you see?"

"Red…"

"I assume you are not talking about Jean" she said with a slight laugh.

"Heh – not even close. No…all I see is red – pure anger."

"Anger at the enemy?"

"No, at the situation."

"I see." she replied with a slight bit of understanding. "Is that how you know when to stop?"

"Probably…never gave it much thought. So what brought this on?" He inquired but he already knew the answer.

"In Vacaville, I experienced something similar." she responded.

"Rage?"

"Yes – not at the people; at the situation. My entire body filled with anger and I just…exploded."

"That's what the report said."

"Yes, but what the report did NOT say was what I felt during the battle with the guards."

"What did you feel?"

"Everything…"

"Care to elaborate?" Logan said with a smirk.

"I felt the bullets hit me."

"WHAT?!" Logan yelled in amazement. He knew from the report that the bullets never penetrated the energy field around her. This really made him curious.

"Well…not me personally, but I felt them being absorbed by the energy field around me."

"How?"

"I do not know." she said with a genuinely puzzled look on her face. "I just know that I could feel each bullet entering the energy field around me. I felt it being absorbed. I felt the energy being returned to the earth around me. I felt it all! There's something else."

"What?"

"When I was surrounded by lightening, it was too bright for me to see."

"But Jean said all of your shots were accurate – dead on accurate!"

"Yes – that is what puzzles me. I couldn't see, but yet I saw everything."

"You mean like some sort of telepathy? Did Jean help you?"

"No. It seemed like I became one with the planet. The ground told me how many people there were. The wind told me where they were, the moisture in the air clung to them and guided my hands, and the lightening became an extension of me. I even knew where Jean and Bishop were – I felt their presence."

"Sounds like you were in tune with nature."

"Yes – exactly, but not like before. This was so different…so extreme. Also, when I let loose that large energy blast; it decimated everything around me."

"Yeah – I saw the damage – that musta been one helluva blast!"

"I felt the damage."

"What? How?"

"The grass, several small trees, even the insects that were destroyed…I felt their destruction. I have never felt that before – not to that degree." Logan didn't know what to say. Clearly this was something new for her – something she would have to deal with in her own way. "The worst part…" she continued "was that when it was over, I didn't care about what I had done."

"I don't think that's true Darlin'."

"Yes it is. The only thing that mattered to me at that moment was getting you back."

"If that were the case, then why are we talkin' about it now? Darlin' all you did was put your own personal feelings aside in order to save me and a lot of other innocent mutants."

"Yes, but all that destruction…"

"It's unfortunate, that's true – but it happens…especially in situations like this. You and I both know that. We've both had combat scars…we heal and get past it."

"I know…I just cannot get past the fact that I became so enraged and was capable of doing so much damage without thought of the consequences."

"Without thought of the consequences? Lemme tell you about some of those consequences. Those 50 mm guns woulda cut you ta shreds…that's one consequence I can definitely live without. Also, if you hadn't come and rescued my hairy ass, I coulda been in there with those other mutants for a LONG time...and think about those babies. Each and every one of them has been reunited with their parents. What about THOSE consequences? You need to recognize your contributions to this mission. You single-handedly liberated nearly 100 mutants and stopped some pretty bad shit from happenin'. "

"You are right Logan." She said, hugging him and thanking him for his kind words. "But…" she continued.

"Thinkin' about Old Man?"

"Yes. I…I EXECUTED him."

"It ain't like he didn't have it comin'."

"Yes, but to be the judge, jury, and executioner. We've fought so hard to be accepted into society. How could I take the law into my own hands?"

"Storm, you and I both know that there are some people on this planet that are just plain bad. You also know that with all of Old Man's resources, he woulda been in jail for about 5 minutes before his lawyers got him out."

"That's still no excuse."

"It may not be, but what he did ta those twins…that's reason enough for anybody! Hell – if I'da seen that, I'da sliced him up myself. Think about what the parents of all those babies we rescued woulda done if they had gotten their hands on him. Nobody blames you for what you did Storm…nobody!"

"I know Logan, and I wouldn't have blamed you had it been you that killed him…"

"But…?"

Storm turned to him with an air of curiosity. "Do you ever think about the people you killed?"

"Every night…"

"What?"

"Every night I sit up and have a beer with 'em…every single one that I killed. If ya like, you can join us."

"How do you deal with it?"

"It's tough sometimes. A lot of 'em were just soldiers or troops obeyin' orders. They happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those are the ones that haunt me the most."

"And the others?"

"They got what was comin' to 'em."

"All of them?"

"Damn right; and I don't drink beer with 'em…I toast their demise."

"How can you say that?"

"With a beer in one hand and a cigar in the other. Let me ask you this. You think if I came across Hitler, before he killed 6 million innocent people, I wouldn't have cut him down?

"That's different."

"No it ain't. Hindsight is 20/20. You KNOW he killed 6 million people so it's easy to take him out."

"Old man killed 3 that we know of…and woulda killed more. The only difference between him and Hitler were the resources Hitler had. Old Man was just as evil, and if you didn't get rid of him, he would have eventually gone after you…or someone else!"

Storm thought about what Logan told her. It was tough for her to accept what she did, but she knew he was right. Violence should always be the last resort, and this was one of those situations. There was no peaceful way this could have played out. Old Man made that decision when he kidnapped the first mutant; and his fate was sealed when the 3 infants died. If Storm hadn't stopped him, the parents of those 3 dead children - or those of any of the kidnapped mutants – surely would have taken him out. It eased her mind a little, but she still knew it wasn't over. She knew she would eventually find herself joining Logan at night with the people she killed.

They sat and watched the moonlight reflect off the lake for several hours. Very few words were spoken, but then sometimes you just don't need words to communicate. Logan held Storm in his arms and slowly rocked her to sleep. He knew from personal experience that this was going to be the first of many long nights. Justified or not, it was a tough thing for her to swallow. She wasn't a killer, and this really cut her to the core. He also knew he would be right there by her side…for as long as it took. The Ro/Lo Combo was there to stay!

Well, that's my story. I hope you liked it. I'm sorry it took so long to finish. Please read and review it and tell me what you think.


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